The steel belt conveyors, made of a metal net traction belt, armored by partially overlapping plates so as to form a conveying trough, are generally used for the transport of materials that can be particularly hot or aggressive due to their physical or chemical characteristics.
For example, in the disposal or treatment plants of hot ashes, produced by different combustion processes, it is necessary to move said ashes cooling them for subsequent uses, avoiding their dispersion in the environment. In the present state of the art, in these circumstances, double mechanical conveyors are thus created, comprising a main belt for the ashes' transport and a secondary mechanical conveyor placed below the main belt for collecting the materials that might fall out from the first one.
The primary object of the secondary mechanical conveyor is that of avoiding the formation of material lumps that could cause some irregularities to the normal operation of the conveyor.
The previously described mechanical conveyors, even if they solve the technical problem illustrated above, have however some inconveniences.
The double conveyors known to the state of the art are made in a cumbersome and complex fashion from a structural point of view, their construction is thus more expensive than that of a single belt conveyor not only for their making but for their operation as well, furthermore because of their cumbersome form it is not often possible to employ them due to the lack of sufficient space.
The double conveyor transporting system requires the use of two different control units, hence greater energy consumption with respect to the use of a single conveyor.
The following patents illustrate prior art systems:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,283 illustrates an opened belt conveyor comprising a rubber belt having several cleats integral with said rubber belt, and thus not able to rotate, having the main function of conveying the material.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,261 discloses a drag conveyor system comprising several plastic paddles which provide for conveying the material in the lower section of said conveyor system only. The “self-cleaning” action is not mechanically performed, but it is merely obtained by inclined side walls.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,549 illustrates a scraper conveyor intended for conveying loose bulk material away through an opening placed at one end region of said scraper conveyor.
The present invention's object is that of remedying the inconveniences belonging to the earlier state of the art.
Therefore the invention's object is a self-cleaning enclosed belt conveyer for loose materials which is reliable ad safe in its use and above all particularly efficient in moving any kind of loose materials, even very dusty ones, without discharging any material outside.